The Forestry Corporation of NSW (FCNSW) has admitted to illegally clearing 1.44 hectares of Australia’s Bindarri National Park near Coffs Harbour in 2019 and 2020. Following the admission, the corporation has entered a legally binding deed with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) to address the damage caused and implement measures to prevent similar breaches in the future.
As part of the agreement, FCNSW will restore the illegally cleared area to the standard of a national park. The corporation will also pay $500,000 to either purchase forested land for inclusion in the national park estate or transfer an agreed area of State Forest to NPWS for gazettal as a national park. Bindarri National Park, which is on the tentative World Heritage List and part of the planned Great Koala National Park, holds significant ecological value. The site has been further recognised as an asset of intergenerational importance due to its koala population.
The illegal clearing, which included the destruction of native Flooded Gum trees, has led to broader environmental issues, such as the invasion of weeds. The NPWS has stated that the agreement reached through the deed is likely to achieve better outcomes for conservation than would have been possible through prosecution.
The deed obliges FCNSW to acknowledge its breach of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 and fund the implementation of a remediation plan directed by the Secretary of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW). The corporation must also develop new protocols and provide staff training to ensure such breaches are not repeated.
Anthony Lean, Secretary of DCCEEW, described the clearing as a serious offence and highlighted the importance of the obligations imposed under the agreement. He stated, “Clearing vegetation in a national park is a very serious offence. The Deed imposes significant obligations on Forestry Corporation to ensure we get a better outcome than would have been secured through litigation. By entering the deed, Forestry Corporation has admitted the consequences of its actions and will fund critical restoration projects to reverse the damage caused to the national park. Additional protocols must be put in place to ensure such a breach is never repeated.”
The Bindarri site, which has been further protected as part of efforts to conserve koala habitats, will now be restored. NPWS has assured that these actions, alongside the planned Great Koala National Park, will provide long-term protection for the area and its wildlife.
